SEO: EVERYBODY Pays – But Who Gets Value?

Everybody pays for SEO and web traffic, one way or another.  It may be in time writing blog posts.  It may be in favours from family and friends with varying levels of expertise and availability.  It may be in AdWords and Facebook Ads.  It may be the hidden costs of low rankings caused by out-of-date “tricks” that used to work.

Everyone who wants to be found on the Internet pays.

Not everyone gets value

There are a lot of people out there doing SEO.  It’s a new field that’s constantly changing.  There aren’t all that many experts, however.

We find that a lot of people are paying for SEO and getting pretty poor returns.  Aside from the straight-out scam artists, there are a lot of people who THINK they know how to do SEO because they’re smart and they’ve read some articles.

They may be very good at their day job, but if they’re not doing SEO full-time, they can’t possibly be keeping up with algorithm changes, Internet content changes, changing social media platforms and audiences, or the changing demands of new and more varied access devices.

How do you evaluate SEO quality?

First, you’re looking for a SEO provider who’s going to be a long term partner.  Then ask them about:

• The breadth of their digital marketing expertise — in social media, in design, in core SEO algorithms, in marketing, in coding. (Your developer could be a great developer – and the worst possible choice for a digital marketer.)
• The depth of their experience:   if you can find someone who’s been around since the Internet began, that’s a good sign in itself.  If they haven’t been working in digital marketing for at least 3 years, then think carefully.
• Whether they have a team that’s able to deliver ongoing results.  You need to be sure you’re not just dealing with a “superman” professional who’s great – and going to overload and breakdown before he or she delivers (after a series of “too busy” delays).
• Whether they are independent: do they exercise healthy scepticism about Google’s press releases and do their own research into what works?
• How they will provide you with evidence of their results. How will they measure the results that they get for you (and how will they explain those measurements to you so you understand).

Are you concerned about whether you’re getting value?

We offer a low cost, no obligation Digital Health Check that will give you an independent audit about what’s working and not working in your digital marketing.  Contact Us to book your Health Check.

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Ian Hopkinson

Founder | Head of Results at Mad Scientist Digital

Ian Hopkinson is a digital creative who is passionate about the online marketplace and its potential to enable smaller businesses to compete on a global stage.

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Latest posts by Ian Hopkinson (see all)

• Optimising ‘Awesome’ - May 10, 2017
• The 80/20 rule: A Digital Marketers reflections on the Pareto Principle - January 10, 2017
• SEO: EVERYBODY Pays – But Who Gets Value? - December 6, 2016